4 a Teacher Reflection
Getting kids to think about their thinking!
The change in physical position and type of activity was a nice change in pace for the student.
The activity offered a variety of interactions between the self, and others, through writing and
conversation. The activity offered an introduction to the first real experience with “formal” proof
and the deductive thinking process. I am trying to clarify and qualify what students know in their
head and how to get that chain of connected thoughts onto paper. This is the toughest part of
doing a proof (applying deductive reasoning) : the ability to show knowledge of geometry in a
written form that follows an orderly process that leads to a solution of a problem.
Chalk Talk & Internet activity
I wish I had a different table set up – I had to move some computer equipment during the
activity in the back of the room. But groups were far enough apart so as not to interfere with
each other. I don’t think they noticed. I was able to move easily between groups and could keep
an eye on everyone. Students could easily look at other group posters and see that they have
common thinking about the proof process. I could also easily see the same misconceptions or
common ideas between groups. They get the big idea, but it is the finite set of pieces that make
up the proof that is the challenge. The internet activity that followed was a nice intro in a nonintimidating way for students to get the feel of a proof, see what it looks like and receive
immediate feedback on their construction of the steps that make up a solution. Since their
knowledge base is at its infancy at this point of the unit, the statements and reasons were set
up for them but they had to construct the sequence of reasoning. The activity also allowed for
me to move between individuals, and give time to those who needed explanation and stronger
students the opportunity to simply move at a faster pace.
The transition to the computer activity was smooth and students stayed on task. Next time I will
have a snapshot ( from Edmodo) to follow the activity- however, the questions are more suited
for a summative assessment. I have no control of the type of question- it is random. Next time I
will might try using the snapshot for my pre-assessment and follow up with another snapshot,
same objective standard following the unit. We were experiencing some glitches with Edmodo
and the graphics but that issue is now resolved.
Poll results from Edmdo:
The poll questions continue to provide me some nice feedback from all students that
participated.
After the online and “chalk talk” activity students needed to complete the poll questions from
Edmodo. Edmodo is an online educational piece of software for students and teacher to form a
learning community. I can send assignments, post poll questions, quizzes ( snapshots) of
students’ knowledge of the CC geometry standards. This is a new experience for me and the
students, so we are working out the kinks.
Students are gaining confidence but I wish to continue to pursue their ability to do a proof in the
classroom. The attitude from students is positive towards “proof” and I will strive to bolster
confidence as the unit continues. This was part of my agenda with respect to the activity. Proof
is s large component of Geometry Common Core and is a good part of Unit 1 and 2.
The results for this question are not surprising since we are at the very start of proof.
Opportunity to revise thinking is an important element of the learning process. Using different
colors allowed me to see new thoughts from different groups.
The last question is showing me that this is a good start in the proof process. I would not expect
that most students would be confident in explaining the proof process to someone else. This is
new to all students. I was happy to see at least 5 very confident! Not all students answered the
poll questions, however. After Unit 2 ,Similarity, I will ask the poll questions again regarding the
proof process.